Aftermath: Super Paper Mario
by Elithesia Autem Dangaurde
Summary: The ending of Super Paper Mario with some additional drama. Mario's worries don't disappear with the Void, as Luigi's life is in jeopardy. Is Mario's brotherly love enough of an incentive to help Luigi live?


Mario grunted as he was thrown backwards by Super Dimentio's force. The power of the Pure Hearts has weakened him greatly, but it was still enough to hurt him. But Mario was determined not to give up. He couldn't let himself fall now. All of the worlds depended on him. If he failed, everything would be destroyed. However, that wasn't the most pressing issue in Mario's mind. He had to save his brother. He had simply watched in horror while Dimentio had forced Luigi to fuse with the Chaos Heart to create this...thing...that he was facing off against now. Though it had been unexpected, Mario was secretly kicking himself for not having the power to stop it. And he didn't need to see inside the monster to know that Luigi was suffering from Dimentio's insanity and power. However, the evil jester seemed to be tiring as well.

"You...will not...stop me...I will...destroy everything!" Super Dimento cackled in spurts. The crack in his voice was revealing that he was losing his energy, and rather quickly thanks to the Pure Hearts. Mario's fingers ignited with red sparks as he clenched both hand into fists. He didn't need to smartly retort to this psychotic clown. He WAS going to defeat him. He shot a glance back at Bowser, who nodded back subtly. Mario raced forward, but Bowser blew a large quantity of flames in Super Dimentio's face. Thanks to the distraction, Mario was able to jump high and bring his flaming fist down straight into Super Dimentio's head.

Mario was thrown backwards again, but he managed to land on his feet this time. A loud piercing shriek emanated through the empty halls of Castle Bleck as the deadly puppet started glowing strangely before seemingly exploding. Mario, Bowser, and Peach covered their eyes from the blinding light and waited for the dust to settle. When everything finally stood still, only a green clad figure remained where the beast had once stood.

"Luigi!" Mario ran to his unconscious brother in a worried panic, turning him over. Peach was by his side in minutes, and she was horrified by what she saw, as was Mario. He was barely breathing. His hair was a mess, with blood trickling from where the floro sprout had once been. He had burns and bruises decorating parts of his body where his clothes had been ripped apart. But the worst thing was the unnatural angle that his right arm was bending towards. Basically put, he looked terrible, and the sight of him made Mario's heart sink into his stomach. Peach's eyes then glanced upward and she gasped. The Chaos Heart was still active. Everyone could see it.

"Seriously?! Taking out that creep didn't destroy that thing?!" Bowser growled angrily. Mario felt himself tremble with rage. If Dimentio has a plan to destroy all worlds even without his magic, what had Luigi suffered for? As Mario picked his brother up and stood beside Peach and Bowser, Count Bleck and Tippi escorted them elsewhere. It was the ceremonial hall that everything had started. They knew what to do. Counter the Chaos Heart with the power of the Pure Hearts. Before departing, Tippi fluttered her way over to Mario and his friends.

"Goodbye, Tippi. Thank you for everything." Peach said. There were tears in her eyes, but she knew she couldn't talk her out of her plight. Tippi then turned to Mario. Though she was just a Pixl, Mario could hear the seriousness not her voice.

"He won't die. Not as long as you take care of him. Farewell, Mario." She said before flying with her love to the altar. As they recited their vows, light began to envelop everyone in the room. Bowser grabbed Mario and Peach in order to brace them as the world shook violently. As light overtook them, Mario could briefly hear the sound of bells...

When the group opened their eyes, they found themselves back in Flipside. O'Chunks, Mimi, and a revived Nastasia were with them as well. Merlon approached the group in a hurry.

"Heroes of light! You've done it!" He said excitedly. Sensing Mario's frustration, Peach stepped forward to speak to Merlon.

"Sir. One of our friends was hurt very badly by Dimentio. We need to help him, and we need to do it now. Please, can you help us?" She pleaded. It was only then that Merlon seemed to spot Luigi's weak form in Mario's arms. Mario himself was staring at Merlon, silent yet firm in his concern for his little brother. The elderly sage nodded.

"Follow me. I'll take you to Flipside Hospital." He said. Nobody had any objections to his words, so they just followed him. Bowser followed out of knowledge that they would want to keep an eye on him. Count Bleck's former minions followed as well, as even though his persona had been different as Mr. L, they had grown to care about the younger Mario brother as one of their own.

At Flipside Hospital, the group was met immediately by emergency responders, who had received advance word of their arrival. They brought Luigi into a room, but then started pushing everyone out so they could tend to his injuries. Only Mario tried to fight this request, which led to both Bowser and O'Chunks having to drag him out of the room, which was not an easy task. He fought back, thrashing as he tried to escape their grips.

"Let go!" Mario demanded as they pulled him away. But the two strong ones didn't give in to his screams. They just did what the staff said, dragging the red clad plumber out to the hospital lobby. Mario continued shouting, but his words came out in broken gasps.

"Let me...go! I have to...be there...I have to...have to...I HAVE TO BE THERE FOR HIM!" Tears finally started streaming down Mario's face as he kicked against the two brutes, both of whom were unmoved. Nastasia stepped up to the struggling hero and lowered her glasses ever so slightly.

" **Relax."**

Mario felt himself slump forward until he was on the ground, on his knees. Tears were still streaming down his face, and Peach knelt to his level.

"Please...I have to..." Mario pleaded as he sobbed. Peach embraced him, trying to calm him.

"It's okay, Mario. He's alive. You'll see him soon enough." She rubbed his back, doing her best to reassure him. Mario shook his head, but he didn't speak. He just buried his head in Peach's shoulder as he continued to silently cry.

It didn't take long for Mario and Peach to be the only ones remaining in the waiting room. Bowser and Count Bleck's minions had gone with Merlon to aid in any repairs that Flipside needed. The two sat in dead silence. Mario didn't want to talk, and Peach didn't want to make him feel possibly worse. After what seemed like an eternity, a doctor walked out and addressed the plumber and the princess.

"How is he?" Peach asked, not wanting to stress Mario out. The doctor sighed as he stared at his clipboard.

"Stable. But I cannot say for a fact that he will survive." He said. Peach gripped Mario's shoulders as the doctor spoke. The doctor himself seemed anxious to hear Mario's response.

"Can I see him please? Mario's voice was quite hoarse, but everyone could hear the pain in his tone. The doctor nodded and escorted the pair to Luigi's room. When they arrived, both Peach and the doctor stayed in the doorway while Mario went straight to Luigi's bedside, pulling up a chair. He grabbed his unconscious brother's hand and began to sob once again.

"We should give him some space." Peach whispered gently to the doctor, who nodded in agreement and quietly closed the door, leaving the brothers alone.

Mario held one of Luigi's hands in both of his own and tried his best to keep his eyes on him without looking away to cry again. "Why?" He thought to himself. "Why did he have to go through all this pain? What did he do to deserve this?" His thoughts hurt him, especially as he thought of Tippi's words. She said he wouldn't die if Mario took care of him. Mario wanted to believe that he'd been doing that all along, but her words made him realize the truth. All the times he had left Luigi alone while he had adventures alone...it pained him so much to think about it now.

"You must've been so lonely...but you never said anything. Why?" Mario asked aloud, perfectly aware that Luigi couldn't answer him in his current state. His breaths were slow and silent, with the only noises being the faintest voices from outside the hospital window. Mario looked in the window's direction before turning his eyes back to Luigi. He gently moved his right hand to Luigi's cheek, but he didn't even flinch.

"Weeg...It's beautiful outside right now. I'm sure the Mushroom Kingdom is just as nice. I do want to go home...but not without you. I don't know what I'd do without you. I...I'm so sorry if I ever let you down. Please don't leave me yet...I need you...I love you..." He sobbed, hoping that his brother would somehow hear his pleas. He gently kissed Luigi's forehead, then buried his head on his chest, still gripping his hand tightly.

 _When Mario opened his eyes, he was sitting in a field of sorts. It was lush, green, and open. It reminded him a lot of the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he wasn't quite sure what he was doing there. How had he even gotten there? Suddenly, he saw a figure standing a bit away from him. The back was turned to him, but Mario knew immediately who it was._

" _Luigi!" Mario called out as he started running towards him. Luigi turned and smiled as he saw him. He extended his arms out and Mario ran right into them, feeling very happy as he did. Luigi rubbed Mario's back as Mario sighed._

" _Luigi...I'm so glad to see you. I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you. Please forgive me." Mario said. Luigi squeezed Mario's shoulders but remained silent. When Mario pulled away, he saw that Luigi had stopped smiling. Instead, he looked sad._

" _What's wrong?" Mario asked, hoping that he hadn't made his brother angry or something. However, Luigi still didn't speak. That's when it hit Mario. This was all a dream, but the last time he had seen Luigi was in his injured state and was unable to talk, and now it has translated into his fantasy. Mario frowned. This was what he wanted. To be home with Luigi. But the pressing matter of Luigi's survival was threatening that. Mario gripped both of Luigi's shoulders, which seemed to surprise him._

" _Please little brother...Don't give up. I want you to come home." He said. Luigi reached up and brushed his finger against Mario's cheek, wiping away a tear that Mario himself didn't even know was there. His calm but sincere smile returned as he placed his hands on Mario's shoulders. Unfortunately, the landscape started to fade right before Mario's eyes. Mario wanted to scream. To beg Luigi to stay. But there was nothing he could do. Then he saw Luigi's lips moving, but he couldn't hear what he was saying. He couldn't even read his lips due to the fading scene. But it must've been important. He just knew it._

Mario picked his head up as he opened his eyes. Luigi was still unconscious, and Mario was still holding his hand. But now there was a blanket draped over him, which he could only assume had been put there by Peach. Mario stood up and walked to the window. It was now storming outside. A noticeable layer of fog coated the town as the wind howled and rain poured down. Mario undid the latch and pushed the window open, allowing the rain to fall on his face as the curtains blew. As he stood, he felt his guilt start to make his way back to his surface thoughts. How bad he felt for everything that had happened and everything that had happened before.

"Luigi...I promise. I'll take care of you from now on. Like I always should have." Mario whispered to the rainy wind. Suddenly, his hat blew right off of his head. Mario turned to catch it, but he stopped as he watched it glide across the ground, sliding to a stop right next to Luigi's green cap, which was on the floor by the door. Mario frowned, but there was something about the image that made him feel better. Mario sighed as the cool wind blew, making him shiver.

"Ma...rio..." A soft yet choked up voice said. Mario jerked his head towards the bed with a sharp gasp. Luigi's eyes were slightly open, and he was looking at him, his head turned just a little bit. Mario practically sprinted to the bed and sat himself down in the chair, clutching Luigi's hand once again.

"Luigi...You're alive..." Mario whispered. Luigi did his best to nod, but it was very difficult for him to do so.

"I couldn't leave you..." He said. He pulled his hand out of Mario's and gently put it on Mario's face. Mario held Luigi's wrist, but he couldn't stop himself from crying. He was so relieved that his little brother was alive.

"Mario...Why are you crying?" Luigi asked. He wasn't used to seeing his big brother cry. Mario let out a choked sigh.

"I was scared of losing you, Luigi...I...I'm so sorry for everything. For leaving you..." he sobbed. Luigi stroked his cheek reassuringly.

"I'm alive...and you're here now. That's enough...for me." He said. Mario sighed as Luigi smiled. He didn't deserve a brother with such a forgiving heart.

"The doctor said you might not survive...I'm so glad you pulled through." Mario commented. Luigi sighed.

"I saw you...in that dream. I heard everything you said...That's why I promised you that I wouldn't give up." He said. Mario felt his heart sink. That dream was anything but what he thought. And it was obvious that that's what he had said when Mario had seen him moving his lips. Even though he hadn't heard, Luigi had still tried to reach out for him. Mario ran his fingers through Luigi's hair, which was sticking out from under the bandages that adorned the top of his head. He then gently wrapped his arms around him, being careful not to touch his right arm, which was in a sling.

"I love you, Luigi. Thanks for staying with me." Mario said in a whisper. Luigi smiled as he closed his eyes and leaned his head on his big brother's chest.

"I love you too, Mario. Thank you for being here for me." He whispered back. After that, the room was silent. The only noise that could be heard was the gentle blowing of the curtains and the occasional drops of rain. But for the Mario Brothers, that was okay for the moment.


End file.
